Some Gayan Family History

Written by Lori, Jake's mom. Kezia is Jake's cousin.


Hi Kezia,

OK, your great great grandparents (Jacob Gayan and Sussanna Krinick) on Grandpa Gayan's side were both from Hungary so that would make your great Grandpa Leo Raymond Gayan 100% Hungarian. He married your great grandmother Helen Marshalek who was 100% Polish. Her parents were Andrew Marshalek and Kunagunda Korona. So that makes your grandpa 1/2 hungarian and 1/2 polish.

Your great great great grandparents Dominico Finco and Maria Carli were both from Italy. Which makes your great great grandpa (Benjamin Pious Finco) 100% Italian. He married your great great grandmother (Helen Bongers) who was 100% German, from the information I have available. Her dad was Weilhelm Bongers, mom yet unknown. That makes your great grandpa (Joseph Finco) 50% German, 50% Italian. He married your great grandma (Ailie Elizabeth Erickson) who was 100% Finnish. Her dad was Henry Erickson and mom was Anna Sophia Bertel, making your grandma Gayan 25% German, 25% Italian and 50% Finnish.

So.....your dad and his sisters (your aunts) are 1/4 hungarian, 1/4
polish, 1/8 German 1/8 Italian and 1/4 Finnish.

Glad I went through this exercise. I never stopped to figure this out.

P.S.
I remember being in the Italian Group in Ironwood with my mom. It was
a group that sang and danced to Italian songs.
There was another group that I played the accordion in. It was the
equivalent of the Tamburitzans. The Yugoslav's. Back to our
Hungarian side.
Making pierogi's was from our Polish heritage.
I thought we were more italian.....you know how we love Italian food, Aziago cheese, etc. Did you know that our ancestors were from Aziago, Italy and they still make cheese over there?
Finnish speaks for itself. Could be why we love to sauna!
Lutefisk was a fish dish that was from our Finnish side. My mom's
family would get together and eat it annually.

That's all I can think of now. If anyone has any other ethnic memories, please pass them on to all of us.

Love you.
Aunt Lori


From Aunt Joyce:

Confusion - you know, Grandma Finco always insisted (vehemently) that she was Swedish and NOT Finnish! She said that some people called them Swede-Finns because of the border area she was born, but she would actually get angry if there was any Finnish inference. That's all I know about that. Dad, on the other hand, insisted he was Polish and Slovac. Why do you think there was confusion about this? Or does it come down to my perpetual question - if I was born in China, would I be Chinese? Guess I don't understand all of that and when everything originated. I suppose at one time, people weren't mobile, so it wasn't like the grandparents were born in France, therefore being French, but their kids were born in Italy, therefore being Italian. Can you shed some light on this for me? Isn't it possible that Grandma Erickson-Finco's ancestors were Swedish, but maybe she was born in Finland? Or have you traced this back further and found only the Finnish heritage on her side?

--Joyce